Vandals repeatedly smash windows of West Kelowna restaurant

By Adam Proskiw

A West Kelowna business is dealing with some determined vandals who keep smashing their glass.

Image Credit: Luke Sumpantarat

October 27, 2015 - 3:31 PM

WEST KELOWNA - A West Kelowna business owner is wondering who is out to get them after their front windows have been smashed four times this year, costing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and lost income.

Luke Sumpantarat moved to West Kelowna when he was just 17 years old and in 2010 he and his wife opened Thai Fusion on Louie Drive. Since the start of the year, someone has repeatedly and methodically smashed out multiple panes of glass, and they just want to know why.

“We don’t really know if there’s enemies we don’t know about but we have no idea who is doing it,” he says. “We’ve never been approached."

The first time was in the spring when someone broke two panes of glass at the front. Marbles found inside made them believe it was just kids with a slingshot.

“We didn’t think much of it," he says.

The second time it happened was in the second week of August. Sumpantarat figures a tool, like a sledghammer or prybar was used, but he can't be sure.

“That’s our busiest week of the year and it closed us down,” he says. “Probably $9,000 in damages alone and then there’s being closed for that long.”

The third time was last Friday just after midnight.

“Somebody threw five rocks at the window and it broke the outside glass,” he says. “We found the rocks but it didn't break the second window so we kept open and got it replaced within a week.”

Two days after that, on Sunday night, the vandal (or vandals) struck again. This time they used a baseball bat and took out the glass on the front door, the largest window and a smaller window near the ground.

“Maybe it happened again because the rocks didn’t close us down so they came back," he says.

Sumpantarat hasn’t totalled the damages and lost income yet, but estimates it is in the tens of thousands.

“I haven’t even got my last claim done yet from August,” he says. “I’m just trying to get over it and move on.”

He says security cameras have captured video of some of the incidents, which have been forwarded to police.

“We do have footage of the guy smashing the window with a baseball bat but we haven’t got authorization from police to release that,” he says. “It’s not going to stop us. As soon as the window’s replaced we’ll open back up.”

Calls to the RCMP were not returned.

Image Credit: Luke Sumpantarat

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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